Murderous dairy farmer had no history of violence

Tammy Mills, Nino Bucci and Scott Bourne

A dairy farmer who snapped in northern Victoria, murdering his partner and shooting two others before killing himself, had no criminal record, no intervention orders against him or a gun licence.

Greg Murray, the eldest of five children from a prominent local farming family, shot his ex-wife, Sonya Gray, and her husband after forcing his way into their Kerang house where six children were staying on Saturday night. His body was found in Murrabit West, along with his partner's, early Sunday morning.

The Kerang home where a couple were wounded by a gunman who later shot dead another woman on a farm at Murrabit West and then shot himself. Photo: Ken Jenkins.

Murray, 43, had been battling with Mrs Gray for access to their three children, a family friend said - a claim denied by her family. Murray had lost his house in the 2011 floods, but had worked hard to rebuild, alongside his brother Chris and his parents, Stuart and Rosemary, who also lost property.

"He came to work very depressed one day because it had been difficult for him to see his kids," the friend said.

Inspector Jamie Templeton said: "There was nothing to give us any indication. There was no history or signs of violence".

"We couldn't possibly see anything coming. This is a horrific crime, and traumatic for all involved. It’s a terrible set of circumstances."

Murray went armed with a shotgun he took from a relative to the home of Mrs Gray and her husband David Gray in Kerang at 11.30pm on Saturday. Murray and Mrs Gray had split up about eight years ago. Mrs Gray, 42, and Mr Gray, a 47-year-old local butcher, were in the Lloyd Street home with six children - three to Murray and his former partner, the two Gray children and a friend of one of the children.

"The children were actually in the lounge room and heard the knock at the door and woke up the adults in the house," Inspector Templeton said.

The new husband saw the shotgun in the farmer's hands "straight away".

"There was a very short conversation around the lines of him wanting to come out of the house, which he declined, and the shotgun was fired," Inspector Templeton said.

Mrs Gray was shot in the hand and neck before Mr Gray, who suffered pellet wounds to his chest and shoulder, and a neighbour wrestled the gun off Murray.

Mr and Mrs Gray were hospitalised.

Inspector Templeton said the children, aged between three and 14, stayed in the lounge room and did not witness the incident. They are now in the care of family.

Mrs Gray's sister, who did not wish to be named, said Murray had regular access to the children, despite the frustration he had expressed to friends.

She said that Murray would take the children every second weekend.

"He can't use not seeing his kids as an excuse for any of this."

Murray had not spoken to his ex-partner for a fortnight, making the tragedy even more bewildering, she said.

Police said Murray fled after the struggle, taking a second gun with him to his property 30 kilometres away in Salau Road, Murrabit West.

He dumped his car, which had not run out of fuel, and walked a kilometre to his house, which is on the same property as his parents'. When police arrived at 4.20am, they found his 41-year-old partner, from nearby Pental Island, dead inside and Murray's body inside another car parked in the carport. It is unclear whether Murray killed his partner, who also has children, before travelling to Kerang.

The Murray family declined to comment on the shootings.

The family friend said that although Murray had separated from his partner before the floods, there had been several relationship break-downs and significant strain placed on the region since the disaster.

"A lot of shit has happened since then and whether that's a part of all this, I don't know."

Inspector Templeton said police did not know Murray had a second shotgun until "some time later" when his relatives discovered two firearms were missing from their property.

A police officer from Swan Hill was sent out to the Murrabit West property shortly after the shooting in Kerang, but remained at the dumped car a kilometre away from the house while more police were called-in.

"We were trying to make contact with him (the gunman) all the way through it," Inspector Templeton said.

"Where he was in relation to his vehicle was the big unknown and the risk to the safety of the police members involved was very high.

He said police were yet to speak with his ex-wife, who was flown to hospital in Melbourne to be treated.